Banner image: "Gathering" - Talia Shea Levin, Zoi Efstathiou & Jacob Jonas the Company
Dance Films On The Lawn August 22nd @ 8 pm
Thank you for attending this outdoor event highlighting local makers of dance on film!
Special thanks to the filmmakers for their participation and to the California Heritage Museum for making this event possible! Learn more and visit the museum: https://californiaheritagemuseum.org/
Please use the hashtag #dancefilmsonthelawn
PROGRAM
Upwell
Directed by J’aime Morrison
A vision of surfing, embodied by surfer Kassia Meador, appears as if in a dream and inspires a woman to return to the water after a devastating loss. Surrounded by a diverse group of female surfers, they paddle out and perform a ritual of connection to each other and to the ocean that is a refuge for them all.
Upwell definition:
-To rise from an inner source.
-A process in which new, nutrient-rich waters rise from the ocean depths to the surface.
木ノ内 周 (Shu)*
Directed by Mike Schwartz
An experimental dance film in three chapters - featuring Shu Kinouchi. Documenting the journey of a dancer whom is questioning wether or not they are truly an artist.
*2022 LA Dance Film Fest - Audience Choice Award Winner.
Fading Light
Directed by Justin Tyler Close
Nights & Weekend's 'Fading Light' video is a love story set inside a dystopian reality, where a mysterious symbol in the sky reveals itself to our planet. Some people decide to live their lives without paying any attention to this extraterrestrial symbol, while others are controlled by its energy. "At the end of the world, society will seek only human connection."
Sea of Stars
Directed by Robin Bisio
Moths are night pollinators, navigating by the stars and moon. In Sea of Stars, we honor a journey into darkened skies as Paige Amicon explores a secret world of cultivation.
The Old Man At The Corner Store
Directed by Nadav Heyman & Anabella Casanova
An elderly man crosses paths with the neighborhood mischiefs.
Gathering
Directed by Talia Shea Levin
The desert sun urges three shards of a self together, apart, then forward. But what if they are fractals instead of fragments - not pieces of some puzzle, but already complete?
Short dance film directed for films.dance, an international dance filmmaking initiative founded by Jacob Jonas the Company, co-presented by BAM, Harris Theater Millenium Park, the Soraya, Stanford Live, and somewhere Magazine. Choreography by ROSAS Dance Company (Anne Terese de Keersmaeker) member Zoi Efstathiou.
be still
Directed by Nicole Manoochehri
In a world of excessive noise, one finds stillness.
A improvised dance film in collaboration with dancer Mélissa Guérin-Torres, Paris-based composer Arnaud Drieu and award-winning cinematographer Steven Fadellin.
Becoming Year 31
Directed by Talia Shea Levin
“Becoming” is one chapter in a series of short films exploring my experience of hair loss during my 31st year. Through this series of short films about hair loss, we hope to provoke essential dialogue around what is perceived as “normal,” and how society systemically uplifts or degrades people based on white-supremacist and heteronormative notions of beauty and gender.
“Becoming” explores the impact our familial relationships have on us, how they foster who you are and the necessary healing of your inner child.
Produced by Maritza Navarro & Danielle Yasuda of MUDA + Lindsey Villarreal
Mi Gran Dolor
Directed by Ariel Benarroch
Mi Gran Dolor, Choreographed/Performed by Jacqueline Hinton explores the 5 stages of biracial identity development: awareness of identity, choice of group categorization, enmeshment or identity denial, appreciation for having multiple ethnic identities, and integration of all identities into self. This film is a response to the push and pull of not knowing where you belong, but finding the strength to empower yourself.
Longing
Directed by Joyce Lo
Longing is a short contemporary dance film created in collaboration with my partner Anthony in 2020. We were in a long distance relationship but the pandemic serendipitously gave us a few months of lockdowns to spend together. As restrictions were lifted and our time together was coming to an end, "Longing" became the artistic and emotional connection that would supplant the physical closeness. The music and movement is a personal and intimate unfolding of this moment in time.
Red Football
Directed by Lily Chumas
After an abusive antagonist wakes up and can’t recall the pain they've inflicted, they begin to spiral and must deal with the consequences head on by facing not only themselves, but the affected ensemble. Once unfazed, shattered, and used merely as objects, the ensemble emerge vengeful and seek justice through reclaiming their power.
Ahead, Behind*
Directed by Ben V Kadie
A surreal dance short. Two strangers find themselves waiting in an infinite queue.
Dance duo JA Collective (Jordan Johnson & Aidan Carberry) and director Ben Kadie collaborate to create a trippy piece that uses impossible 3D space in a unique way, and explores the tension between of intimacy and isolation.
*2022 LA Dance Film Fest - “StandardVision Showcase Award for Artistic Achievement” Winner.
Stories By My Mother
Directed by Polina Cherezova, Katya Richardson & Masha Cherezova
STORIES FROM MY MOTHER is an experimental docu-dance film portraiture of a young Russian American woman exploring her identity and the roots of her past. Through stories her mother retells about the women of her family lineage, she regains connection to her ancestors and homeland, and embodies their stories through movement.
818
Directed by Olivia Mia Orozco
After eating her spicy food the dancer gets hotter and hotter by the moment and needs to cool off. Shot around nostalgic parts of Los Angeles where the director grew up. "818" pays homage to the director's hometown in the 90s. This film was made possible by a commission from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
*Special thanks to Tobie and John Orozco, Nick Saper, DPGW, and Dance in The Districts
Dance Films On The Lawn 2023
Organized by Nicole Manoochehri
Tech: Joubin Manoochehri
Audio Engineer: Marc Solomon
Photographer: Mo Summers
Events:
California Heritage Museum - Check Out The Museum’s Current Exhibition: Photography by Maxin Elramsisy
Food Trucks & Jazz Music on the Lawn - Wednesdays 5 PM-9 PM
Farmer’s Market - Sundays 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM
More Info: https://californiaheritagemuseum.org/
LA Dance Film Festival - Save The Date: The 7th Annual Film Festival Will Take Place on November, 4th @ Mimoda Studio! Join us for Screenings, Discussions and a Dance Filmmaking Masterclass!
Join Our Mailing List: https://www.ladanceshortsfilmfest.com/